June 15, 2005 12:00 AM - ENN

A report released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI) recommends that multilateral development banks (MDBs) incorporate environmental and social policies into their lending to financial intermediary (FI) institutions in developing countries.

June 14, 2005 12:00 AM - ENN

June 14, 2005 12:00 AM - John Harrington, The Independent Record

Dirk Ellis estimates that he's given three or four tours a day of his Strawhouse Market since opening the doors two-plus weeks ago.Inside, the building features ground source heat pump technology for heating and cooling, with close to two dozen closed wells drilled more than 200 feet into the ground to take advantage of the earth's year-round 52-degree temperature.

June 14, 2005 12:00 AM - Mike Powers, Reuters

On an industrial dump outside town, one-time banana worker Giovanni Morales climbs down into a toxic pit with a blunt pickaxe in search of scrap metal.
Morales is one of about 9,000 former banana workers in Puerto Armuelles, one of Panama's biggest banana-producing regions, who lost their jobs when the industry took its latest downturn in 2003 due to a disease that ruined the crop.

June 14, 2005 12:00 AM - Peter Blackburn, Reuters

Deep in the Amazon rainforest lies what looks a small U.S. Midwestern town, with neat white clapboard bungalows, trim gardens and spacious streets.
A closer look at the main street reveals the paint is peeling and the roads have potholes. Instead of cars, there are bicycles and instead of bustle, there is silence.